Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya has an advantage as a former beta tester of Sword Art Online, but his experience is not enough to survive its challenges alone. Alongside Asuna Yuuki and other skilled players, he must confront powerful bosses and dangerous cults while working toward the game's only escape: clearing all one hundred levels of Aincrad.
Accessed through the immersive NerveGear system, SAO offers players a vivid medieval world. Its creator turns that promise into a deadly trap by removing the ability to log out, leaving thousands stranded inside. Each level is harder than the last, and dying in the game also means dying in the real world. For Kirito and his fellow players, progress through Aincrad is no longer simply a gaming achievement, but a requirement for freedom.
